I know I cant be alone here, all girls love clothes and dressing pretty. I miss wear high heels the most. I have a shoe fetish like mad. How did you ladies deal with this? I mean I could wear my heels but Im thinking the heel will just fall off the back of my foot rest? So I guess wedges or flats huh? I cant stand the idea of never wearing them again.. Am I thinking too much into it here?

--how I miss wearing pretty shoes at all! We have discussed this before somewhere and at the risk of repeating, my best friend and I used to dress up when we went to the theater. We went to see touring Broadway shows a lot and even though some people were in jeans we loved dressing up just like we would if we were in New York City going to a Broadway show on Saturday night!

My spasms are so bad that my feet have to be strapped to my footplates all of the time which just totally defeats the purpose of pretty, strappy HIGH heels. My foot plates have a little ridge around the back so my feet can't slip backwards.

I say that if you wear them-GO FOR IT!

I've personally never been a fan of heels, but if I were, I'd have the perfect foot rest. Maybe all you need is a new foot rest?

Hmm. I suppose I just need to try! I miss dressing up. I lost control of my ab's when I was hurt..causing the muscle to relax. It looks like I've gained weight and my clothes dont fit like they used to. I hate that. I recently gained that muscle back but oh man its hard to work out. I'm fine in my chair I just want my body back, I want to wear my dressy clothes!!! This is gettin to be more like a diary entry rather than a reply so Im going to stop now. Thanks for the help though girls. Now i just need to work on that footrest!

Hi Ches,

One other thing to consider is - how high wearing heels will raise your knees ! This may give you 2 problems - not being able to get yourself under tables, and it will increase the pressure on your butt bones !

Sorry to be a party pooper but you should be aware that you might run the risk of pressure sores. Just take care is all I can advise, but if you want it badly enough I'm sure you can work something out.

Best of luck.

And don't even think about crossing your legs/knees to look cool, that causes a whole barrel of problems!

Simon

Party-poopers!!! When did girls ever forego pretty shoes for a "little" pain

However Deej and Simon are right in that it does present a few more serious problems for us. But, I think that I have a solution if it is at all available to you. My cushion is a low profile ROHO but I have recently acquired a high profile ROHO (Thank you again! Still looking for a cover.) which would raise me up a good 2". That would help relieve any pressure concerns.

Being in an electric chair, as long as my knees aren't higher than my armrests I can't imagine a table that I couldn't get my knees under and I wouldn't have to look up so far when talking to people either. And, we aren't talking about wearing stillettos all day 24/16.

Ya gotta feel pretty no matter what you wheel around in! I found wedges are the easiest and still look amazing! And think of it this way...you get to go shoe shopping!! I also found that...well...the dress needs to be a little past the knees. I din't think about my knees floppin around and me showin the good to everyone! HA! I was glad I had on a longer dress!

good topic,,,,,,

I miss dressing in style alot.

I have some cute shoes but they're all different heights.
Which is a pain to wear.
That requires my aide to change 4 screws on @ footrest.
8 screws sitting on the floor.
So I wear the same Keds tennis every day.

My daughter had a similar problem with shoes. She found that her shoes kept slipping from the foot rest, or would turn out or in. The solution we found was a little square of velcro. Depending on the shoes, surface of the shoe, etc. Please be cautous of the amount of time you were your high heels, wedges, etc. It is the perfect postion for a footdrop, and you do no want to deal with that. Also, I don't know anything about the height of your knees, or what would problems it would cause, but pressure sores are not something you would want to exchange for good looking feet.

Pressure sores would not be fun that is for sure. I am pretty good about shifting though, and since the day I woke up I could feel pressure in my ass. Sores havent been a real issue, yet. I do worry about my foot dropping though. That would be a bummer. I dont really have anywhere to go lately other than my 10 hrs of therapy a week. So no reason to wear them but maybe I'll start out small, like dinner.

As for crossing my legs.. yeah right. I didnt do that before the accident. Although I do cross them sometimes when Im on the couch just to make my friends laugh.

Ok I have another clothes related question, I'm still learning all these new paralyzed ninja skills. I'm wondering how you people get dressed after the shower. I mean I know how to get dressed, but I have to go back to my room and get on my bed. I dont always wanna have to transfer back and forth, ya know. I cant raise up enough out of my chair to get pants on while I sit. I have a Quickie GT and the armrest arent really that secure. Is there a trick to it? Should I be gettin dressed on bath bench, maybe? Is it one of those great Ninja skills I will aquire with time?

I miss wearing skirts......the short kind. I like wearing skirts still but tend to stick with the ones that are real long or just knee length with a pair of cute knee high boots. I don't like that weird bluish marbled color my legs always seem to have, or that I've got Jello under my skin where there used to be muscle once upon a time. Around the house is different cuz then it's just us and I don't feel put on the spot and nobody is staring.......well except for my boyfriend.....but that's just cuz he's drooling. I've had to stick with flats I'm afraid. OMG who get frustrated trying to keep their nails looking even 1/2 way descent? I tried accrylics......NEVER again! I broke a nail in/with my spokes and it took my nail with it. Oh and I was a big fan of bracelets......note "was".

Ever since I was hurt two years ago I've been on a fashion search, trying to find the right jeans, shirts (need to be long enough for low rise jeans), and of course shoes. I had so many pretty high heel sandals. It was a bummer to watch them go but I had to because my foot turned out when I tried to wear anything with a heal. Now I go for a flat or a low wedge.

On the bright side there is NEW shoes to look forward to. I would just keep trying all different kinds until you find what works for you. Never give up on trying to look good!

hometown.aol.com/theophania79/wheelchairfashion101.html

The pants thing will get a lot easier when you're arms, and abs get stronger. I get dressed sitting in my chair. I just leaning to one side; pull my pants up some, lean to the other side, pull them up some more. When i first got hurt this took me about 10 minutes lol. Now though, I can kind of bridge my back and pick my butt up off the chair though so that makes it MUCH easier. The only bad thing about getting dressed on the shower chair is I imagine it'd be almost impossible to keep from getting your clothes somewhat wet.
As far as high heels go I never wear them anymore. It makes my knees sit too high, and then I can't get under the desk at school. They also hurt my ankels, since they don't have muscle in them, sometimes they just fall to the side when I wear heals and then I twist my ankels. I do love flats though, they're really in style right now, and the wedges seem to be easier on the ankels.
I used to wear cute mini skirts all the time, but that's impossible now that my knees decide to fall open during the day lol. If I do wear a skirt I just make sure it goes over my knees. I don't really like the super long ones, just a personal choice.

I'd be happy to be able to wear my flats again. My feet swell every day, so I usually just wear an old pair of tennis shoes or slippers. I threw away all of my heels and have'nt been able to wear any of my sandles either. Maybe I need to try some with a strap in the back to help keep them on.

As for my blue jeans, well I guess you're traveling along on the fashion train and get to the point where comfort over rides the fashion. I don't seem tp have much of a waist anymore, so I guess elastic waist pants will have to do. Frankly, I'm not even sure what blasted size I am any more. I have'nt bought any new clothes since this all started. Except for skivvies and sling shots..............

you must be in a manual since most powerchairs the footrests have heel loops... well at least the one im gonna be getting.

Uhm Alin,.. Is there something you want to tell us...

Maybe explain why you need that foot rest? You have a little weekend job, or hobbie you arent telling us about?

Its ok you can tell us, no one here will judge you. Except me.

if you are to take a look http://www.apparelyzed.com/forums/index.ph...amp;#entry39261 <-- there

it will explain everything

Alin. Im just teasing you. Dont take it literally. I dont mean any harm. I think you know that, but I just wanted to make sure!

ha ha ha i know, but now you know im spastic

"spazz the casbah spazz the casbah" screw rock the casbah!

hello everyone

I have registered in this forum sincea few months However this is the first time I write something. I have enjoyed reading your posts and have found everything very interesting and useful

about your topic. Well I really miss wearing short sexy pants. I used to have long straight legs and I remember having the attention of everybody when dressing like that (I was only a teenager). I cannot do this anymore because of the leg bag and also because I have lost a lot of weight even though my legs are still very straight even after 10 years of paralyzes. I don't regret high heels though.

Now I'm having a problem with every shoe. About a month and a half ago I fell out of my chair and broke my foot in 3 places and now my foot is so wobbly I'm not sure that my foot is attached to my ankle anymore. My ankle was so swollen at the time of the x-ray that they couldn't tell if it was broken and since I'm never going to walk on it they didn't do anything to it. Anybody else ever broken your foot? Will the swelling ever go out? I have 2 different size feet now!
I can still get my Crocs on but fall is coming.

I have found some jeans that I like for everyday. They are classic 5 pocket styling with a zipper and button but they have a stretchy sweat pants kind of waist with a functional draw string. They aren't for you tiny girls though. I found them in the Silhouettes catalog and they go from size 12 up.

I hate clothes shopping with a passion, especially when I go with my main purpose being in search of clothes.

Shoes - I wear a kids 1 so I'm lucky if I find something thats non powerranger or barbie. Heels are out of the question, my ankles are way to wobbly (personally I think they are way to flexible to not be broken but never cared to check) and again find something that isn't pink and sparkly with butterflies all over it. Mainly I stick to off brand chuck/van type style shoes or keds are always a good fall back. However, I to have a pair of summery wedges that have a ankle strap when I like to "dress up." Did I mention I'm a notorious jeans and tshirt type of girl?

In pants I can wear anything from a 14 in girls to a 4 in juniors depending on where it came from, how old they are, and the style, etc... because vanity sizing is a witch. I have no muscle mass plus chicken legs run in the family so the legs always seem baggy no matter how tight they fit on others. Usually capri's are a little better about that though. Low rise or hip huggers don't work for me, even if they "fit" I get this weird 2 inch gap between my back and the back of the pants since I hardly have a butt. Shorts... dear Lord, I own one pair that came from walmart that work since actually have leg parts too them, the rest seem to cut off at your butt. With those types since they're meant to sit on your hips and come down about two inches the leg holes are so wide that you can see straight up them on me. Classy. I usually cross my legs Indian style since it's the most comfortable (I used to have hardcore spasms) and during school I plop the bookbag on the footrests so short skirts are out of the question. Especially since I drive cross legged too. Flowly at the knee, past the knee skirts are the only "in style" thing right now that I'm grateful for.

Shirts - does anyone else have the great urge to burn all of these baby doll shirts that are so long that they could be a dress? I'm pretty busty for my size so to fit in the chest area I have to get a size bigger than I'd normally wear which makes a shirt already a little baggy at the waist and then with them being mega long and me sitting down I end up looking preggers. FUN! I've already took a pair of scissors to a few just because I liked the shirt enough to alter the length. Seriously, I should have grown up in the late 80's early 90's where shirts were shorter and almost square.

Also another random fashion, clothes, body image type question: I don't know that injurly level is the cut off for having stomach/ab muscles but does anyone else feel like right after they eat or drink it looks as if they gained about ten pounds? I know that when most people eat a lot they develop a little bit of a pooch until it digests but if I even drink a bottle of water or eat anything bigger than a snack it immediately shows and makes my stomach poke out 20x more than it already does. Grr... lol


Also, other question! Do y'all try clothes on in the store, or buy try on at home then return if it doesn't work?

Your last question Dorkette is one of the reasons I have'nt bought any new cliothes. Now,I have no choice, my clothers are starting to fall apart.

I've decided to buy a couple of things at a time and just take them back if they don't fit. I don't think the small area they normally give you to try on clothes is going to work for me. Plus, I rarely have anyone with me to help out.

I ALWAYS try my clothes on in the store before I buy them. I don't know about you girls, but I swear no two pair of pants are made the same. In my closet I have juniors sizes 4, 6 & 8 in pants! I'm able to change my clothes sitting in the chair all by myself though, so that makes it a lot easier for me than some people i'm sure. I have noticed that many stores have a big bench style seat that you can sit on. I'm not sure if that would help you or not. Another thing I have noticed is that individual stores have a lot bigger handicap dressing rooms than malls. I guess they try to save room in the malls that way, but I've been to ones where my manual chair doesn't fit through the door. So that sucks because I usually will just not buy anything from there, unless I love it and they have a good return policy. I've actually had some places allow me to take the clothes to the bathroom to try them on if i can't get in the dressing room.
I know exactly what you mean about those baby-doll tops! I have a pretty large chest for my waist as well, so when i put the shirt on, it balloons out in my waist and I look pregnant! I will not buy them lol.

Just a note about the classic 5-pocket styling jeans with the sweat pants/draw string waist that I mentioned above. I really do love these jeans now that I'm wearing them and I just got a Lane Bryant Woman Within catalog with the same style in it, Mainstreet Blues, and the addition of a dark denim wash, chocolate, black and burgundy. Again...they start at size 12.

I think that I was born bigger than dorkette!!!

They are on sale online right now with a 30% off of one item offer which ends up paying for the shipping. Pretty good deal. The straight legs look really cute with the boots that the model is wearing.

http://www.womanwithin.com/plus-size-Pants...9268&Page=2

OMG I know what you're talkin' bout with the different sizes thing. I've got XL in juniors S,and M in misses......go fig. It's just the way they're cut or something. I have fairly small feet US size 5 I don't always get strapped with Barbie......just lousy selection. Oh and ladies if anyone has a brand of nail polish they've found that can actually withstand the abuse of wheelchair and forearm crutch using.....please......please......let me know. LMAO The things we wind up talking about. LOL Oh why is it that the changing stall that has a disabled insignia on it has to be used for daycare for Moms with unruly children or as storage for all the gobacks?

I miss Pretty feet and pretty feet. But even though i wear flats i still wear nice shoes.I've however noticed that i may have to cut down on cover shoes i'm still not sure which shoes are best but the marks begining to show on my feet definitely speak against cover shoes.
Hmmmmm what a dilenma and to think that i took wearing high heals for granted. I took it as one of those normal things.Ah! life!

I wear skirts and boots I have different colours with zips so they are easy to get on. I just cannot pull trousers up I tried when I was in hospital I could not do it,
I do miss shoes but my feet just swell up and go purple after they have been down for ten minutes. I wear special tights so they do not look a pretty sight with shoes.

I find my feet very hard to 'dress'. My toes curl up and so if they are not carefully placed flat into footwear I get open sores on the knuckles of my toes so my footwear has to lace doen to my toe nail. And also one foot is twisted at the ankle and so shoes can't stay on my feet so I have to have ankle boots, and of course they are wider than before. I

So what do I unhappily end up with? Old granny style wide fitting lace up Ecco boots - 2 sizes larger than before. They are soft leather and keep my feet from getting open pressure wounds so they work well, but having to wear the same style black boots for over 20 years really p*sses me off.

So if anyone has any suggestions for different wide ankle boots, where the lace goes down to the toe area it would be really appreciated.

L xx

I'm not saying that your nails will hold up to the abuse of spokes but Sally Hansen Diamond Strength nail polish is the best one that I've found to date. It's the one with the little rhinestone on the bottle. It stays put without chipping for at least a week for me.

The way I understand it is if you make sure you stretch everyday you shouldn't get foot drop no matter what you wear.

And I sometimes will just sit on the toilet and get dressed. I am used to pulling my pants or shorts up there so it's familiar and easy. And if I have like jeans on I just pull them up the ret of the way when I transfer back into my chair. I kinda slouch down ya know like slide my butt down to almost the edge of the chair and lean back and pull them the rest of the way up. That's what works for me anyway. Or make the transfer to the wheelchair and then lean side to side and pull em up. But no matter what you are gonna find what works best for you and your situation.

I know what you are all saying about the clothes!! Man! It is tough knowin just the right thing to buy! I love the long shorts in style now! And the like capri or long short light weight or light sweat material ones for around the house. Soooooo comfy!! I usually buy a lot of T-Shirts but man am I getting tired of those! Io wanna look nice sometimes ya know? I like 'em a little longer and a little bigger around the waist. I TOO have the "I just ate and I look like I gained 10 pounds" problem!! Big shirts help that they look decent and are comfy!

Well I can definatly say that I have never been a stylish person when it comes to shoes. I have a pair of tennis shoes, boots or high tops, a pair of sandles, dress sandles and dress shoes... thats it. All flats as I never liked heels. Now I normally wear my hightops or boots as I walk around my house with sticks and the hightops helps with ankle support and control so I dont trip on everything including the ground and my own feet.

As far as how I dress I cant wear jeans cause I have problems transfering without the slipper material of wind/track pants. If I am not going anywhere then I can do regular transfers with a little extra effort but I cant get into my vehicle unless I have the slippery material as I have a 4x4 pickup and I pull myself up by the oh $hit handle and there is too much friction of my pants rubbing on the seat when trying to get up. My boyfriend also has a pickup truck so transfering into his truck is difficult as well unless I can slide up easier when pulling myself across his seat (he doesnt have oh $hit handles and his sits lower so I have to kinda shimmy myself in and across the seat with whatever I can grab.

I like to wear tank tops and cute shirts though so I still can wear them, just need to make sure they arent too long so they get in the way for truck transfers. So I figure my compromise of wearing wind/track pants with cute shirts is a good one. I used to love my blue jeans but unfortunatly on most days thats a thing of the past, unless some designer decides to start putting some type of slippery material on the back of the legs, even cordura I think would work but as of now not doable for me.

As far as dressing after the shower... my shower bench comes close enought to my toilet seat so when I am done in the shower I transfer over to my toilet and I get dressed there. I just do the back and forth pulling the pants up like other people have described, havent gotten dressed in bed since rehab and they told me they didnt want to see me doing that and made me sit up and struggle through getting dressed with my legs off the side of the bed. At the time, I was pissed about it and hated them for it cause it was easier a different way but now looking back I guess they knew what they were doing

I know what you mean. I've had a variety of foot rests and right now I like the one that's on my Quickie TI. Basic, flat and good for heels. I have tiny feet (size 6) so that might have something to do with my heels staying in place. But really, I'm all about ballet flats and flip flops (however a flip flop can be tricky). Sometimes I'll loose one in a transfer, but I'm been speedy at replacing a shoe with out many people noticing. Just have to keep my toes manicured and painted - they are always on display.

I have experimented with the new "Instant Manicure" strips that Avon sells now. No drying time as you just literally lay the dry strip over your nail and trim off the end. Easy, fast and they do NOT smudge. After I put mine on I intentionally dragged my nail over a screen door to see how durable it was... not a mark. As well after 10 days I HAD to remove it with polish remover as they never chipped on me and I wash my hands a thousand times a day. They make them for toenails now as well. Something to try maybe??

How I miss all the cute clothes and shoes. I am post injury of 10 months and had to get rid of all of my jeans and short shirts for knit pants and longer shirts so that it was easier for me to get dressed in the bed.

I did get a new wardrobe, but now everytime I buy clothes I have pick the things that will be easy to get dressed in. Since I wear an AFO on my right foot and can walk using the cane, I only can wear my sneakers, so all clothes that I buy I have to make sure will look cute with those shoes. I am so glad to see that there are others that also go thru what I am going thru.

YAY! Im so glad to hear that! Ive been wanting to try those, but i didn't know if they were as good as they say. I'm off to call my "avon lady" lol

Hey us guys like to "look good" in what we wear too you know!

I haven't the problem of high heels though!! Well not that I've ever tried!!!

What about fishnets?? lol!!

Think I've met you years ago btw - well maybe - did you used to have hair when you had wheels??

WELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.................. I'm off to a look alike party on Saturday so!!

Was thinking of..

Timmy! Southpark!

or Prof... from Rocky Horror!! .... So Shirt Tie Jacket ANNNNND Fishnets, stockings, high heels, etc all under a blanket!!

What about my day bag though hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Timmy is good. I think the best is Joe from family guy.. or just Christopher Reeves

I usually buy pants a size or two bigger than I need now. It helps when I'm getting dressed because they are easier to get on. LOL It's nice to knwo I'm not the only one to get dressed on the toilet sometimes!

Now what am I gonna do? Just this week I've noticed the end of both big toes red, and still red in the mornings after my shoes have been off all night.

I suppose that it is due to the fact that both of my big toes tend to curl upward and so I guess that creates pressure. I'm afraid that it will turn into pressure sores on the end of my toes.

Winter is coming. Am I going to have to give up shoes and boots?

What about wide sized shoes and wider squared toe styles. I've begun wearing these (I am a 'Boot Goddess') and I find I get no pressure as I did when I wore more pointed styles. I have been buying a lot of my shoes/boots from Chadwick's of Boston. Most have zippers that run all the way down to the sole and I've purchased a lot of inexpensive suede/leather styles from them. Get on their email-mailing list ( paper catalogs) and they'll start sending you coupons for 30% off, etc.

For shoes I have some lower ones as well but I often wear basketball shoes, they have a bit more room in them usually expecially if looking for some narrow mens styles. Sometimes they look way too masculine on the shelf but once on the feet they actually can look nice. I have some black mens basketball shoes that I got for dressup since I wear wind/track pants places then I could wear the black shoes with some solid black pants and a nice sweather if going somewhere nice and I also got them for hockey since there is otherwise nothing to protect the ankles if I got hit with a puck (not that it would hurt but dont want to break anything).

Anyways... for boots I wear Sketchers brand. I find that they are very roomy inside and they have many styles for women that are cute and modern as well.

Hey Karen I can one up you on the foot size......or is it one down? I wear size 5 or in a dress shoe 5-1/2.LMAO And thanks I'll have to try some of the Sally Hanson nail polish.......gets old having to redo the nails every 48hrs.LOL Hey I saw some really cute shirts that are FOR THE LADIES in chairs. Things like "Wheelie Sexy" written in pink. I saw them at cafepress.com under disability. If ever I get a service dog I want the one that's got a golden retriever service dog on it wearing headphones that reads "service dogs rock". If you're easily offended though......maybe not. There are some that although I and others may think are hilarious would offend someone else, like "Jesus Loves You! (apparently I pissed him off)" sure I can see the humor in it.......but I'm kinda twisted that way.

I actually offended my own based on that and changed it to "God Loves You (Apparently I Pissed Him Off)" as I am muslim and dont believe in Jesus as being any more than a prophet, not the son of God. (I dont want to get into a religious debate here for the record). I have gottena lot of laughs while wearing that one. I also saw one that says "I may walk funny but you're ugly" that I thought was pretty good but I cant walk far enough to actually walk anywhere outside of my house. The other I wanted to get was "The back of this shirt is hilarious" and then on the back it says something like "If you can read this put me back in my chair". I saw that after telling my boyfriend how it sucks sometimes cause I have some shirts with writing on the back that nobody ever gets to see so I thought that shirt was pretty good.

The "Wheelie Sexy" is a t-shirt sold here at Apparelyzed's cafe press shop... I have one and it's great fun to wear.... people always find it fun and make comments. (Thank you Simon!)

way cool link

http://www.independentliving.org/fashionfreaks/introeng.html

Thanks cdngrl, good link to have